Note: I think the end of this chapter is too predictable but I sort of want to keep this movie- like, meaning short, fast, but fun. I now it's been a while since the last update, but I hope you like it, but if you don't that's ok too.
Also: Thanks to Jheti/DarkSlayer84 for the support and beta reading.
Will Turner: It's not your blood they needed. It was my father's blood. My blood... the blood of a pirate.
After the clattering of the Myrna's silverware faded there was no sound. It suddenly felt like death in the room- cold and silent. A slight rumble could be heard in the distance as the silence went on, but the people inside the small home paid the weather no heed.
Outside the wind was picking up. Thick black clouds were rolling in and the only light that could be seen, the moon, was being covered in a grey fog. The wind started to howl and the rain came pouring down, but those inside the Myrna home however took no notice. The storm unleashed inside was the center of their attention. They sat in the main room dead silent. They all stared at each other, all of them waiting for someone else to say something, anything. Both Mr. and Mrs. Myrna overcame their initial shock at the same time. They both spoke in unison.
"What did you say?"
Jack set his fork down on the table and looked resolutely at the Myrnas.
"I asked you to tell me about my father."
"What brought this on, Jack? Your mother?"
A nod.
"She told you that we could tell you about him, didn't she?"
He nodded in the quick fashion that he had before.
"What exactly do you want to know about him?"
He paused and seemed to consider his words. To Mrs. Myrna he looked too thoughtful and considerate for a twelve year old.
"The Truth." There. He had said it. Now all he had to do was wait. He knew that Mr. Myrna would tell him the story but he also knew Mrs. Myrna well. If she didn't feel that he was ready Jacob would never utter a word of his father's tale.
Mrs. Myrna sighed and looked at Jack as if she was seeing him for the first time. What truth do you want Jack? Our truth or the truth that you will create from what we tell you. You should know your father's story, but are ye ready? O' course he is! He is the son of Jonathan Sparrow, the greatest captain who ever sailed the sea, besides my Jacob of course. He's the spitting image of his father. Why didn't I see it before? All you have to do is look in his eyes. He had those same brown eyes almost like honey that you can get lost in, like the ocean waves. All you have to do is look…
"Jack, are you sure? Once I tell you everything will change. You cannot go back."
She then whispered something quiet, almost to herself.
"Lord knows I've tried."
Jack stared at the bronzed face of Mrs. Myrna and considered her words. She gave him a patient look while he decided.
"Yes. I need to know. Who my father was is a part of me, and without that part I feel empty. The memory of my parents is all I have left and I know almost nothing about him. I need this Mrs. Myrna. I need your husband to tell his story to me. Will you let him?" He then added in a quiet whisper much more like a twelve year boy who has been taught manners,
"--Please?"
She gave him another stern glance and still found herself deciding whether or not to let her husband tell the stories. She only knew the tales of the Myrna and Sparrow family through her husband and she knew that some of the tales should not be told to a boy. However if Jack was only told about his father's life and not his death he would never find out about the reason that he was in Stonewall, and how the Myrna's, seemingly so out of place had ended up here as well. There's no sense in dragging the boy into that mess. Not one so likely to fall into the same predicament as his father.
She nodded and rose from her seat at the table. During the conversation she had forgotten where she was. She looked to her silent husband who still was shocked. He couldn't believe that she had agreed. She gave her husband a look that meant- say something! - and so he did. Gathering up his strongest voice he spoke clearly in his storyteller's fashion. Tonight it would not be made up stories that a smaller Jack had enjoyed. This would be the truth. He could only hope that Jack could accept it and that it wouldn't but his future in jeopardy, whatever it may be.
"Very well then."
She motioned to her husband and he stood as well. Leaving the dinner table cluttered behind them they both walked to their chairs that were next to the old fireplace. They were strong wooden chairs that sat across from each other in the small room. Mrs. Myrna sat and gestured to Jack to sit in front of them. It was covered in dust and Jack found it impossible to believe it had ever been cleaned, let alone lighted. While Jack and Mrs. Myrna got themselves situated, Mr. Myrna somehow coaxed the fire to life with a dry log and patience. After he was satisfied with the size of the fire he sat down as well.
Mr. Myrna looked at Jack and seeing that he was comfortable on the floor cleared his throat. He looked to his wife for a moment and then spoke in his smooth voice.
"I think that I should start from when I met your father seventeen years ago. He was eighteen at the time. He was a crew member on my ship."
"Mr. Myrna, I already knew that you were a ship captain. My mum told me that. You had to be to tell all those great stories of the sea. Was it a merchant ship?"
"No."
"A ship of her majesty?"
He shook his grey head.
"Fishing vessel?"
Another negative response.
"A personal ship?"
He nodded his head slightly.
"What on earth did you use the ship for?"
Silence.
Jack grew impatient and spoke again.
"Mr. Myrna, I've asked you every function I can think up for a boat that you would need a crew for, what else could you have used it for."
This time Mr. Myrna's silence was eerie and foreboding. A word hung in the air. He opened his mouth and nothing came out. After a moment Jack managed to hoarsely croak out:
"…Piracy?"
The only sound was the fire crackling violently. The silence pressed on their ears. They all looked around at each other, hoping that one of them would break the silence. Mrs. Myrna spoke first in her lightly accented voice.
"Well know that bit is out in the open Jacob you can start telling your story."
When Jack turned his head back to Jacob Myrna it appeared as if the man had aged ten years in an instant. Even his eyes, once dark and kind appeared to be worn out and distant. He appeared to be reaching far back into his mind to a place his wife had never seen. A place where the waves rocked viciously under a black sky and tossed man, along with his insignificant vessel, around as if he were a doll. The further backed he reached the more it seemed to take out of him. Even though his mind was traveling back in time his body was aging by leaps and bounds. He was getting to old to dwell in times years gone and it was showing. He eventually colleted himself and turned his eyes to Jack again.
"In order to tell you the history of your father, Jack I must start from the beginning of my own pirating career, even as short as it was."
Career indeed, Jack thought, but said nothing.
"Forty years ago when I was twenty years old I inherited my father's ship after his untimely death. He was a pirate as his father before him. Stole from English warships and the Queen's vessels he did. He never took from a merchant or private vessel. He said that he was just takin' back from those that took from. That's what he told me. My father never killed either, unless the person he was fighting was trying to kill him. He could not however be responsible for some of the action of his crew. That never helped his reputation among sailors. You might think that all I could dream of was taking his place. That's not true. I never had any attention of becoming a pirate of any kind, it just sort of happened.
How does something like that sort of happen? And how did you father die anyway, Mr. Myrna?
Mr. Myrna answered one of his unasked questions.
"Jack when you come from a family of pirates with a reputation as big as my families…well let's just say everyone expects you to do that. When I inherited that ship I was given the crew as well. I just wanted to become a merchant and sell wares, but I couldn't abandon them. An' the men would have none of that. I wanted to take care of them, Jack; they had been so loyal, although I believe it had somethin' to do with the fact that my father looted the most money of any ship on the high seas, here or in the Caribbean. Pirates have loyalty with a price. And what a price your father paid my boy. These were the children of my grandfather's crew."
"So you became a lawless pirate, feared and hated just to take care of the men?"
"I wish it were that simple boy. When I took charge of that boat I planned on leaving it in the hands of the first mate on the ship, Jack Sparrow.
"Jack Sparrow? That would mean…"
"Aye Jack. You come from a pirating family as well. He's your namesake and with just cause."
"But I'm nothing like a pirate!"
"Ay that you are not. But you strong just like him and brave as well."
Jack's mouth opened and closed a few times and he stared in disbelief and outrage at the couple seated across from him. He didn't even know who these people were anymore. What was worse was that he didn't even know himself anymore. He managed a whisper and it was barely perceptible.
"I'm nothing like him. I will not be like a…a…pirate."
Mr. Myrna didn't miss a beat and continued on as if Jack had said nothing. He flashed a knowing smile at Jack He didn't understand yet. You couldn't choose who your relatives were or if you were like them or not. It was already decided even if he didn't like it. Blood always stays with you no matter how hard you try to rid yourself of it. He didn't have to become a pirate or anything like that but it was in his blood and soul.
He had made all that effort to travel back to get the story and he was going to get to tell it. No interruptions.
"Anyway I was going to give the ship to your grandfather Jack Sparrow. He was around twenty-five years old at the time and probably my best friend. I was known as "the kid" to him. I offered him the ship, but he said that it only deserved to be commanded by a Myrna so I had to become the captain of the ship. I kissed my sister and mother goodbye and left port the day after my father's funeral. We had smooth sailing until we met up with Her Majesties Navy. You see my father's reputation followed me and the Navy thought that I was looking for more ships to loot. Actually I was traveling to Tortuga to inform the pirate population of my father's death. I had figured they would have known of his passing but I needed to confirm it. Also I was there to pick up some "things" he had left there. Somehow they managed to capture me. They threw me in prison Jack. For five years!"
"But you hadn't done anything."
"That's the way it works when you're a pirate."
"But-
"Let me finish my story, and then you can ask questions."
"So I sat in a prison for five years until Jack broke me out. Terrible place, that prison. Rats, every kind of pest imaginable, and the food… It still makes me quiver thinking 'bout that."
Jack shuddered. How could they do that to an innocent man? Did they not know that he wasn't a pirate or did they not care? Were people that blind and prejudice out there that they couldn't look past the labels given to the people called pirate?
In that time your father had been born. He was barely a month old when I was broken out of prison. As you already know his name was Jonathan. After that there isn't really that much to tell you about my life or piracy. It lasted barely a year. After I was rescued I left the ship to Jack. He had become the captain during the five years I had rotted in that jail cell and I used that as my opportunity to leave. Your father was raised by his mother on the mainland while your grandfather commandeered the ship. Jonathan grew up quickly just like you have my boy. He didn't truly become a pirate until your grandfather died."
"Why did he become a pirate Mr. Myrna?"
"Someone had to take over the ship didn't they? Your parents wouldn't have met if it wasn't for his becoming a pirate. It's all loyalty. A pirate does have a code of honor you know, even if sometimes it's broken. We were pirates after all. And besides that, it was all your father dreamed of. He could see himself following in his father's footsteps, the wind blowing in his face, and the adventures that he would have. He was called to the sea my boy, just like you are."
He saw that Jack wanted to protest but he spoke again, cutting him off.
"Don't' deny it Jack. I've seen the way you are at the peer. You want to leave this place badly."
"I suppose you're right."
Mr. Myrna smiled.
"Course I'm right. A man doesn't live as long as me an' gets things wrong."
He smiled but then grew serious again. He looked hard at Jacob Myrna who looked back at him just as hard.
"Mr. Myrna how did my father and you come to be here. How did he die?"
The fire crackled and the room was still. Mr. Myrna speared him with a strange look his eyes far away again.
"Haven't you had enough stories for one night Jack?"
"Come on Mr. Myrna. I'm sure there are many more stories you can tell me."
Mr. Myrna raised his voice, something he had never done in front of Jack.
"I said not tonight!"
The room was quiet again and Mr. Myrna saw the stricken look on Jack's face. Even his wife looked nervous. Seeing this Mr. Myrna softened his expression. He spoke in a soothing whisper.
"Another Time boy, another time."
He sighed and rose along with the Myrna's
"Oh all right. One more thing though. The ship. What was its name?"
Lightning struck outside, startling everyone in the room. They hadn't noticed the storm until then.
Mrs. Myrna felt a sense of dread in her gut. She hadn't felt that way in a long time not since… She sighed almost imperceptibly. There was no point in thinking about that. They were long gone and couldn't hurt them. Unless… She shook her head. That was just a pirate story, a tale of black spot nonsense. Everyone knew that was just a tale anyway. After all the ship her husband manned for a short time had been the stuff of legends and it had turned out to just be a normal ship. It was only black for some unknown reason because time had forgotten who made it, how and why the maker did it was unknown. Her silent musings were interrupted by her husband when he spoke again to reveal the named of the ship. He uttered the words he hadn't spoken in twelve years. She noticed the shadow that crossed his face as he said it.
"The Pearl. The Black Pearl."
Jack nodded his thanks to the Myrnas and quickly left the room and headed to bed. He would not think about these things until morning. Then he could think more clearly. He was tired and it was very late. Mrs. Myrna said nothing to her husband and left the room as well. That left Jacob all alone in the room with the fire crackling behind him.
He turned to the fireplace and reached for the bucket of water that was right next to the hot poker. He poured the water and the fire extinguished. Smoke rose from the fireplace and the sweet smell of burnt cedar reached his nostrils. It reminded him of a wine he had tasted once on the island of Tortuga. Sometimes on cold nights he missed those days, but he didn't regret his life or the turn it had taken. He pulled himself out of his revere and walked to the small window and looked outside and noticed the storm brewing. He felt something suddenly foreboding in the air.
Outside the wind howled louder. Someone was coming, and soon.
I sure parts of this were a bit too predictable but that's just how it came to be. I'm still trying to work out how to do the accented dialects and I hope to improve on it. In the future I hope to make the chapters longer but I'm not good at writing long chapters. I'd like to keep this story going so it is going to be sort of fast paced. In the next chap we will find out the rest of the story!